Imitating Jesus

As we continue in our series -- This is the Way We Role -- we talk about The Role of Prayer in Disciple-Making with our friend, Ethan - a bible college graduate and leader in our spiritual family who is committed to the disciple-making process and prayer.

In Part 2 we discuss intimidation, obstacles and agendas in prayer, praying God's word, prayer as part of our family cultures, and resources to grow our understanding and practice of prayer.

As we continue in our series -- This is the Way We Role -- we talk about The Role of Prayer in Disciple-Making with our friend, Ethan - a bible college graduate and leader in our spiritual family who is committed to the disciple-making process and prayer. We talk about a definition of prayer, praying for your disciple, and praying with your disciple (and how Jesus offered us an example in all of this). 

One of the most acute pressure points in life and culture today is our collective and individual journeys toward mental health. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we thought we’d take an opportunity to dig a little deeper into this critical and relevant topic that affects us all. This is a four part series exploring topics concerning mental health, disciple-making and community with friends and guests, Dr. Kevin and Dr. David. 

In Part 4 we discuss (1) how mental health affects belonging, (2) the difference that connectedness and hope make in our mental health journey, (3) boundaries and enablement, (4) the goal for all people to thrive and flourish, and (5) how Dr. Kevin and Dr David would counsel pastors on how to come alongside those with mental disorders.

Dr. Kevin

Kevin, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1992 from Texas A&M University (APA accredited) and became a licensed professional psychologist since 1994. Dr. Kevin has been a full-time faculty member for 30 years in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at the University of Central Arkansas where he currently teaches masters and doctoral students in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology and also serves as the training director for the Mental Health Counseling master’s program. Additionally, Dr. Kevin served 20 years as a disaster mental health counselor for the American Red Cross where he has provided disaster intervention in the aftermath of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and other disasters. Dr. Kevin has been a believer and follower of Jesus since college and has served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, house church leader, and Perspectives team member. For the past six years, Dr. Kevin has provided trauma and recovery workshops for volunteer agencies in Turkey, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Lebanon working with Middle Eastern refugees and has also provided direct crisis interventions with refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Greece.

Dr. David Wheeler

David Wheeler, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1996 from Texas A&M University (APA accredited) and became a licensed psychologist in 1997. He is currently the Clinical Vice President at the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home which is a psychiatric residential treatment facility. In recent years, he has led in the development of a curriculum for adolescent residents, The Community Model of Residential Care, that's designed to help youth develop skills required to be an effective member of almost any “community”, including their family, school, neighborhood, church, job, and other communities. Dr. Wheeler also has a small private practice where he primarily counsels adults and adolescents. In the past couple of years, David has been part of a small home church trying to learn and implement the Disciple Making Movement (DMM) concepts. It is his desire to help believers live healthily in spirit, mind/emotions, body, and relationships.

One of the most acute pressure points in life and culture today is our collective and individual journeys toward mental health. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we thought we’d take an opportunity to dig a little deeper into this critical and relevant topic that affects us all. This is a four part series exploring topics concerning mental health, disciple-making and community with friends and guests, Dr. Kevin and Dr. David. 

In Part 3 we discuss (1) a compassion crisis in the church, (2) the role of medication for mental illness, (3) the gift of listening and how we often talk out of our own discomfort, and (4) advocating for our mental health.

Dr. Kevin

Kevin, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1992 from Texas A&M University (APA accredited) and became a licensed professional psychologist since 1994. Dr. Kevin has been a full-time faculty member for 30 years in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at the University of Central Arkansas where he currently teaches masters and doctoral students in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology and also serves as the training director for the Mental Health Counseling master’s program. Additionally, Dr. Kevin served 20 years as a disaster mental health counselor for the American Red Cross where he has provided disaster intervention in the aftermath of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and other disasters. Dr. Kevin has been a believer and follower of Jesus since college and has served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, house church leader, and Perspectives team member. For the past six years, Dr. Kevin has provided trauma and recovery workshops for volunteer agencies in Turkey, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Lebanon working with Middle Eastern refugees and has also provided direct crisis interventions with refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Greece.

Dr. David Wheeler

David Wheeler, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1996 from Texas A&M University (APA accredited) and became a licensed psychologist in 1997. He is currently the Clinical Vice President at the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home which is a psychiatric residential treatment facility. In recent years, he has led in the development of a curriculum for adolescent residents, The Community Model of Residential Care, that's designed to help youth develop skills required to be an effective member of almost any “community”, including their family, school, neighborhood, church, job, and other communities. Dr. Wheeler also has a small private practice where he primarily counsels adults and adolescents. In the past couple of years, David has been part of a small home church trying to learn and implement the Disciple Making Movement (DMM) concepts. It is his desire to help believers live healthily in spirit, mind/emotions, body, and relationships.

One of the most acute pressure points in life and culture today is our collective and individual journeys toward mental health. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we thought we’d take an opportunity to dig a little deeper into this critical and relevant topic that affects us all. So we recorded four episodes with two psychologist friends of ours, Dr. Kevin and Dr. David. This is a four part series exploring topics concerning mental health, disciple-making and community with friends and guests, Dr. Kevin and Dr. Wheeler.

In Part 2 we discuss (1) how the nature of God and Scripture inform our approach to mental health, (2) the Bible as a psychology textbook describing the depths of the human condition, (3) examples of mental illness and wholeness in the Bible, (4) sinful behavior, impairment and cognitive behavioral therapy, and (5) the importance of presence and getting in the ditch with your disciples and friends.

Dr. Kevin

Kevin, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1992 from Texas A&M University (APA accredited) and became a licensed professional psychologist since 1994. Dr. Kevin has been a full-time faculty member for 30 years in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at the University of Central Arkansas where he currently teaches masters and doctoral students in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology and also serves as the training director for the Mental Health Counseling master’s program. Additionally, Dr. Kevin served 20 years as a disaster mental health counselor for the American Red Cross where he has provided disaster intervention in the aftermath of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and other disasters. Dr. Kevin has been a believer and follower of Jesus since college and has served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, house church leader, and Perspectives team member. For the past six years, Dr. Kevin has provided trauma and recovery workshops for volunteer agencies in Turkey, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Lebanon working with Middle Eastern refugees and has also provided direct crisis interventions with refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Greece.

Dr. David Wheeler

David Wheeler, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1996 from Texas A&M University (APA accredited) and became a licensed psychologist in 1997. He is currently the Clinical Vice President at the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home which is a psychiatric residential treatment facility. In recent years, he has led in the development of a curriculum for adolescent residents, The Community Model of Residential Care, that's designed to help youth develop skills required to be an effective member of almost any “community”, including their family, school, neighborhood, church, job, and other communities. Dr. Wheeler also has a small private practice where he primarily counsels adults and adolescents. In the past couple of years, David has been part of a small home church trying to learn and implement the Disciple Making Movement (DMM) concepts. It is his desire to help believers live healthily in spirit, mind/emotions, body, and relationships.

One of the most acute pressure points in life and culture today is our collective and individual journeys toward mental health. With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, we thought we’d take an opportunity to dig a little deeper into this critical and relevant topic that affects us all. This is a four part series exploring topics concerning mental health, disciple-making and community with friends and guests, Dr. Kevin and Dr. David.

In Part 1 we discuss the intersection between mental health and spirituality, and we walk through a basic approach to mental health (like, what to do next if you (or a friend or your child) are suffering and you've run out of tools to help yourself or help them).

Dr. Kevin

Kevin, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1992 from Texas A&M University (APA accredited) and became a licensed professional psychologist since 1994. Dr. Kevin has been a full-time faculty member for 30 years in the Department of Psychology and Counseling at the University of Central Arkansas where he currently teaches masters and doctoral students in Counseling Psychology and School Psychology and also serves as the training director for the Mental Health Counseling master’s program. Additionally, Dr. Kevin served 20 years as a disaster mental health counselor for the American Red Cross where he has provided disaster intervention in the aftermath of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and other disasters. Dr. Kevin has been a believer and follower of Jesus since college and has served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, house church leader, and Perspectives team member. For the past six years, Dr. Kevin has provided trauma and recovery workshops for volunteer agencies in Turkey, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Lebanon working with Middle Eastern refugees and has also provided direct crisis interventions with refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Greece.

Dr. David

David Wheeler, Ph.D. received his doctorate in Counseling Psychology in 1996 from Texas A&M University (APA accredited) and became a licensed psychologist in 1997. He is currently the Clinical Vice President at the Louisiana Methodist Children’s Home which is a psychiatric residential treatment facility. In recent years, he has led in the development of a curriculum for adolescent residents, The Community Model of Residential Care, that's designed to help youth develop skills required to be an effective member of almost any “community”, including their family, school, neighborhood, church, job, and other communities. Dr. Wheeler also has a small private practice where he primarily counsels adults and adolescents. In the past couple of years, David has been part of a small home church trying to learn and implement the Disciple Making Movement (DMM) concepts. It is his desire to help believers live healthily in spirit, mind/emotions, body, and relationships.This is a four part series exploring topics concerning mental health, disciple-making and community with friends and guests, Dr. Kevin and Dr. Wheeler. In Part 1 we discuss the intersection between mental health and spirituality, and we walk through a basic approach to mental health (like, what to do next if you (or a friend or your child) are suffering and you've run out of tools to help yourself or help them).

Dr. James Coakley is our guest today. He's a pastor, teacher, author, husband, father, and grandfather. He's been a professor of Bible and Theology at Moody Bible Institute for over twenty years and is a frequent tour leader to Bible lands. Dr. Coakley published a book in March 2023 called 14 Fresh Ways to Read the Bible. Rather than feeling inspired and energized when reading the Bible, we often feel confused, disenchanted, and removed. Dr. Coakley shares invaluable strategies that help us engage God's word and bring color and life to our Scripture study.

We kick off this fresh series by talking about The Role of Scripture in Disciple-Making with our friend, Monica Vanover - a woman who's a part of our spiritual family in Chicago and a bible college graduate committed to God's Word to guide us and bring life to us.

In Part 1 Monica shares about her own experiences with scripture as both a disciple and disciple-maker, ways to elevate and incorporate scripture in our relationships, and how to tailor-make the disciple-making experience for each unique person. We had too much to talk about, so we made a Part 2.

In this episode Monica answers the question, "If you were speaking to a room full of Christian pastors and leaders, what concerns would you address about how the Bible is represented in the disciple-making process?" We also discuss misconceptions about the Bible, giving people access to your life so they can see scripture come alive and lived out, Bible study and learning disabilities, and using scripture in our families with our children.

As we kick off this fresh series -- This is the Way We Role -- we talk about The Role of Scripture in Disciple-Making with our friend, Monica Vanover - a bible college graduate and woman in our spiritual family who is committed to the disciple-making process and God's Word to guide us and bring life to us. She shares with us how her mentor uses scripture in their relationship, and how she uses scripture in her own discipling relationships. (Secret: it begins with treasuring God's word yourself). We also talk about the importance of tailor-making the way you companion each person, considering their personal and unique story, knowledge, giftedness, learning differences, etc. Therefore, we can't short-circuit the relational component of disciple-making because we can't know these things about someone if we emphasize the transfer of information (knowledge) over doing life together (relationship).

Transitions, celebrations and suffering are often defining moments in our lives and the lives of our disciples. In this episode we talk about (1) God as a suffering God, (2) how our own suffering (rather than a certificate) qualifies us to make disciples, and (3) a Suffering Chart to help you and your disciple discover how God is working to comfort and shape him (and how our presence and empathy is the greatest gift we give our disciples).

"I know of no better way to connect with the heart of a disciple than to meet him in the crisis of faith--where he's wrestling to reconcile his pain with God's goodness--and share with him what I've learned about God through my own hardships." (pg 77-78)